Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace, Inc. is a non-profit organization that promotes and inspires responsible outdoor recreation through education, research, and partnerships.

“The Leave No Trace (LNT) message is more than a campaign for clean campsites. It’s a program dedicated to building awareness, appreciation, and most of all, respect for our public recreation places. LNT is about enjoying the great outdoors while traveling and camping with care.”

The following is their Principles of Outdoor Ethics:

Plan ahead and prepare

Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you’ll visit.

Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.

Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.

Visit in small groups. Split larger parties into groups of 4-6.

Repackage food to minimize waste.

Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.

Travel and camp on durable surfaces

Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.

Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet from lakes and streams.

These tips should be posted for all campers. Even those that have done it a long time. These are all good tips to remember. Sometimes you can be so focused on camping that you forget to notice your surroundings, to think ahead, and to prepare accordingly.

I agree 100%. These tips are great to follow and thanks to the one on leaving animals alone, I didn’t get chased by a fisher unlike my friend. These tips should help to preserve our world and the nature for future generations to see. Don’t you want them to also enjoy nature like we do? Then help preserve it.